Resume Writing Tips

Writing a resume is not an easy job. Writing an effective, creative resume that gets results can be tough. Most prospective employers decide whether or not they want to interview you after reading the first few lines of your resume. So, be careful in writing your resume. Use the 10 tips below to help parlay your resume into a winner:

1) Don’t skip the small stuff. Make sure your resume includes your name, mailing address, phone numbers, and email address -- all possible ways you can be contacted. Should your résumé happen to get separated from your cover letter, a potential employer will have no way of getting in touch with you.

2) Use language that sizzles. Use active language and strong, energetic words. Avoid the use of personal pronouns such as “I” and “me.” Steer clear of buzzwords, acronyms, and industry-specific jargon. Avoid the use of phrases such as “responsibilities included” or “duties included” -- employers want to hear about your accomplishments, not how well you carried out your assigned duties.

3) Get to the point. It’s a smart idea to quickly capture an employer’s attention with easily digestible information. Consider beginning your resume with a specific, highly condensed summary of your professional background, skills, and attributes. A summary also helps to give your résumé focus.

4) Edit and proofread carefully. The importance of painstakingly proofing your résumé for typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors cannot be stressed enough. Enlist several other pairs of eyes to go over it as well, preferably belonging to friends who are professional writers or editors. Having to review so many résumés can make many employers look for reasons to eliminate applicants; that first typo usually does the trick. Even small mistakes can lead a potential employer to believe that a candidate might not make a very careful or conscientious employee.

5) Customize. If you have a broad range of experience, you may want to consider having more than one résumé, each targeted to a specific industry or job.

6) Be truthful and accurate. Make sure you have not included any misleading or false information on your résumé. Chances are your “inaccuracies” will eventually be discovered and you’ll lose all credibility with your prospective employer.

7) Name your motivation. It’s important to paint a clear picture of your goals and objectives, as well as the industry or position you are targeting. Don’t make an employer guess; he or she should be able to take a quick glance at your résumé and have a good sense of what you want to do.

8) Emphasize achievements. Employers are less interested in titles and duties and more interested in previous accomplishments. The fact that you implemented cost-cutting measures that reduced your department’s expenses by 15 percent is far more meaningful than simply stating you oversaw a budget. Quantify your achievements in terms of percentages, dollar amounts, or time frames to make your accomplishments more concrete.

9) Put education in the right place. If you are a recent graduate who does not yet have much work experience, make sure to put the emphasis on your education. In addition to listing the university you attended, include information on degrees earned, majors and minors, grade point average, date of program completion, and any scholarships or honors received. Once you’ve got several years of work experience under your belt, this education information can move to the end of the résumé.

10) Include references and portfolio. While many résumés promise references “upon request,” sometimes it’s a good idea to include a list of references up front. Make sure it’s a list of professional acquaintances that you trust to speak well of your skills and past accomplishments to prospective employers. You may also want to attach a portfolio of your professional-quality work to illustrate your abilities.

SAMPLE OF RESUME

Tracy Q. Graduate

Campus:
456 College Hall
Normal, IL 67890
(111) 222-3333
tracy.graduate@ilstu.edu
Permanent:
123 Main Street
Anytown, MI 12345
(777) 888-9999
tracygraduate@hotmail.com

OBJECTIVE: Management trainee position in the retail industry.

SUMMARY: • More than three years experience in retail and food management.
• Retail internship with Walmart.
• Magna Cum Laude graduate with BBA in Management.

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Business Administration in Management, May 2005
Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
Graduated Magna Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.6 on a 4.0 scale

Courses taken included:
Strategic Management Personnel Planning and Selection
Organizational Decision Making Compensation and Performance Appraisal
New Venture Creation Business Data Communications
Quality Assurance Staffing and Selection

EXPERIENCE: Retail Internship, August 2004 to Present
Walmart, Bloomington, Illinois
• Responsible for stocking and floor management for softlines.
• Develop inventory tracking reports on a monthly basis.
• Participated in annual inventory, including preparation for first barcode reporting.

Swing Shift Manager, August 1997 to August 2004
McDonald’s Restaurant, Bloomington, Illinois
• Management of 12 to 16 employees during an eight-hour shift.
• Responsible for customer service and overall satisfaction.
• Awarded Employee of the Month three different times.
• Began as counter person and promoted to management position within 8 months.

ACTIVITIES: • Vice President, AMA Student Chapter, 2004-2005
• Secretary, Beta Gamma Sigma honors society, 2004-2005
• Dorm Resident Assistant, 2003-2005

©2004-2005 CollegeGrad.com, Inc. All rights reserved. For personal, individual use only.

Dealing with anxiety
It would be a shame to let something as insignificant and short-lived as an attack of nerves conceal your winning attributes. Here are some tips to prevent nervous tics and other imperfections from interfering with your best interview ever.

- If you're concerned with a piece of clothing in your interview ensemble -- maybe the naked-lady tie is a little racy and you're on the fence about it -- change it. In addition to favorably impressing your interviewer, your clothes should do nothing but support and feed the confidence and comfort of the intelligent, sensitive creature wearing them.

- During the interview you'll want to look neat, clean, and well-composed. You should always wear a suit. Even if the workplace where you're applying is business casual (or has no dress code whatsoever.) Even if the interviewer tells you that you don't need to wear a suit. It's always better to overdress than underdress. Stick to conservative navy, gray or black. Women, wear pantyhose and closed-toes shoes.

- If a deficiency on your resume worries you, don't obsess on it and let it sink your spirits. Think about this deficiency and how you will explain it before you go in for the interview. It's there, so deal with it and move on. Remember, they've agreed to interview despite this flaw, so it can't be a stopper. If there is any way of putting a positive spin on it without making it a feature of the interview, plan a short but sweet response.

- On the day of the interview, breathing exercises can help you relax and focus your energy. Closing your eyes, imagine a peaceful place. Or, visualize yourself acing the interview. Here's another one: place your tongue at the roof of your mouth just behind the teeth and then breath quickly and forcefully through your nose for as long as you can. If you push yourself at this, when you then inhale deeply through your mouth again, you should feel energized.

Your interviewer will want to measure how well you think on your feet, on your seat - how you think, period. How does that brain of yours channel and process information - rationally, creatively, sporadically? Companies prize the ability to think analytically. Many of the most successful people in business attribute their success to the fact that they surrounded themselves early on with intelligent people.